The U.S. National Park Service says it will reinstall the bronze statue of Confederate Brig. Gen. Albert Pike in Washington’s Judiciary Square by October, acting under two recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump aimed at restoring federal monuments and ‘beautifying’ the capital. The statue, erected in 1901 to honor Pike’s role in Freemasonry rather than his short Confederate military career, was the only outdoor monument to a Confederate officer in the District of Columbia. Pike’s monument was pulled down and set on fire by protesters on Juneteenth 2020 during nationwide demonstrations for racial justice after George Floyd’s killing. Its return, federal officials say, is required by historic-preservation statutes and the new directives instructing the Interior Department to replace statues removed since 2020 that the administration believes reflect a ‘false reconstruction of American history.’ Local leaders renewed opposition to the move. District Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called the plan ‘morally objectionable’ and said she will introduce legislation to remove the statue permanently and place it in a museum. The episode underscores the long-running tension between federal authority over Washington’s public spaces and the city’s efforts to address symbols that many residents view as celebrating white supremacy.